Wild Brazil (2014–…): Season 1, Episode 2 - Facing the Flood - full transcript

Brazil -
the beating heart of South America.

Vast landscapes, carved by the
irresistible forces of nature.

More animals live here
than in any other nation on Earth.

This is their story.

SQUEAKING

As the seasons change,

animal families face
extreme challenges.

THUNDER

Immense floods.

Brutal drought.

Surviving and raising young.



LOUD SQUEALS

Through the good times and the bad.

SCREECHING

This is an intimate journey

to the heart
of a spectacular country.

The rains are on their way.

Across Brazil, the young
of three animal families

have successfully weathered
the first few weeks of life.

The newest of a clan
of capuchins

has begun to learn the many tricks
his family use to survive.

A young brood of coatis have taken
their first dangerous steps

out into the grasslands.

And a family of giant otters
survived an encounter with.

Brazil's supreme predator -
the jaguar.



Now these young animals face

the greatest challenge
of their lives so far -

the immense power
of Brazil's monsoon rains.

In the heart of Brazil

lies the largest freshwater wetland
in the world.

The Pantanal.

But now it's dry.

The land is thirsty.

The predators...

hungry.

There are more jaguars
along Pantanal's rivers

than anywhere else in South America.

LOUD GRUNT

This is the perfect time of year
for hunting.

Life is concentrated
along the riverbanks.

When the rains come,
other animals will have their day.

A young giant otter.

Just three months old.

It's time for her to learn
a bit of independence.

She doesn't seem keen.

The parents give a bit of gentle
encouragement.

LOUD SQUEALS

She's not alone.

Her brother and sister soon join in.

The kits still have a lot to learn
about the water.

It'll be their hunting ground.

And their playground.

But it's a dangerous place.

LOUD SQUEALS

Over the next two months, this
river will swell with the rains.

The kits face a real risk
of drowning.

And in the Pantanal,

predators are never far away.

Nearly half of all kits
that die in their first year

are killed by caiman.

The mother decides enough is enough.

The danger's too close.

For now, it's time to retreat

to the safety of the holt.

In the coming months,
as these rivers swell,

they will burst their banks and
change this landscape completely.

The driving force
of this transformation

is the Brazilian monsoon.

The rains it brings
will change the lives of creatures

all across the country.

But the strength of the monsoon
varies from year to year

and place to place.

Thousands of miles away
in Brazil's dry interior,

rain falls for just a few days
every year.

Yet it changes animals' lives
completely.

Despite the harshness of this place,

this young tufted capuchin appears
to be having an easy time of it.

Until now, he's been cared for
by his mother.

It's time for him to grow up.

The wet season may only bring
a few days' rain here,

but for capuchins
that means boon time.

He must learn to look after himself
and earn his place in the group.

And life in this group is complex.

He's one of the youngest
of over 50 monkeys.

There are 18 mothers with babies,

15 adolescents...

...and six dominant males.

He must persuade all of them
to accept him.

He has to become part of the clan

because survival in these
unforgiving canyon lands

takes teamwork.

It's only these capuchins'
extraordinary resourcefulness

and their ability to learn
from one another

that allows them to
cling onto life here.

The youngster has a lot to learn.

CAPUCHINS WHISTLE

Challenge number one.

Work out who your friends are.

And who to avoid.

Next, learn how to forage...

...but don't get in the way.

SCREECHING

Finally, always watch
where you walk.

He's discovering that being
so low on the pecking order

isn't going to be easy.

Until the rains arrive,
it's going to be very tough here.

LOUD SQUEALS

Even getting a drink takes ingenuity

and a rather unusual sponge.

This female isn't about to share.

At least now he knows
where the water is.

But he's not big enough yet
to reach it himself.

He needs to grow up
and learn... fast.

The monsoon will only bring
a few days' rain here.

The capuchins must be ready
to make the most of it.

Other parts of Brazil
will be inundated.

In the centre of the country, the
rains will transform the landscape.

This is the vazante...

...a unique mosaic of grasslands
and flood meadows

surrounded by forests.

When Brazil's monsoon starts

the prevailing winds will
blow south for five months

and bring the rains.

These fertile grasslands
will disappear.

For these coatis,
this presents a serious challenge.

The family live in the forest

but feed mostly
out in the surrounding meadows.

But soon these vital feeding grounds
will have vanished.

SCREECHING

It's an especially crucial time
for the juveniles in the family.

They must learn to forage
and fatten up

before their larder literally
disappears from under their feet.

But right now, they seem to be
more interested in play fighting

than in feeding.

The mother and her newest babies
get down to the serious business

of finding a meal
out in the grasslands.

The adults set an example and the
youngsters must watch and learn.

But picking on the tiniest in the
family seems much more tempting.

Finally, the mother's had enough.

LOUD SCREECHING

At last, the youngsters get down
to learning the art of foraging.

A snake this big
is definitely not on the menu.

For the coatis,
time is fast running out.

They have a lot of growing up to do

and not much time before the world
they know completely disappears.

THUNDER RUMBLES

Thousands of miles away
above the Amazonian rainforest,

elemental forces have begun to stir.

Brazil's prevailing winds
have at last turned south.

They're starting to spread moisture
from the Amazon rainforest

right across the country.

The monsoon rains
have finally begun.

Brazil bursts into life.

For many,
this means a time of plenty.

In the Cerrado grasslands,

these first rains trigger
a remarkable spectacle.

Termite mounds up to 2m tall

pepper the landscape.

When the rains arrive, the termites
take to the wing to breed.

But this is just the beginning
of an extraordinary event.

As night descends,

the mounds are transformed.

THUNDERCLAPS

Luminescent beetle grubs
that live in the mounds

have now burrowed to the surface.

But these lights are lethal.

The beetle grubs
are hunting the termites.

The light lures them in.

They'll feed on this stockpile
of bodies

throughout the wet season.

Now the rains have begun,
the Pantanal's rivers begin to rise.

This poses a unique challenge
for the giant otters.

At 2m long, the adult
otters are certainly formidable,

but they're not the only hunters.

Until the rivers reach peak flood,
the otters still regularly come into

contact with the Pantanal's other
top two predators.

Caiman are a threat to
weak or young otters.

Jaguars are a threat to them all.

OTTER SQUEALS

GROWLING

The Pantanal's jaguars
are specialist caiman killers.

Their jaws are so powerful they've
pierced the adult caiman's skull.

The otters will be at risk
whenever they venture onto the land.

LOUD SQUEAL

That poses a particular problem
back at the family holt.

The kits are confident
in the water now

but today's lesson is on dry land.

This is toilet training,
otter-style.

But with so many jaguars around,

it pays to be cautious.

This is how otters
mark their territory -

a vital part of otter life.

The little ones aren't so sure.

They just need a little
encouragement.

Rubbing the scent in will make it
last longer into the wet season.

The kits need to learn
this new skill

to start contributing
to family life.

But for the young,
it's a daunting prospect.

Not quite to the top...

LOUD SQUEAL

...but it's a good start.

The mother shows her
how to finish the job.

As the river rises higher,

the kits will have to rely even
more on their family

to get through their first
wet season.

Back in the canyon lands,

the rains have finally made
life easier for the capuchins.

There are insects
and fresh leaves aplenty.

But the rains are short-lived here.

The family must make the most
of every morsel they can find.

It's time for the youngster
to pick up

an essential tufted capuchin skill.

Tool use.

It's the only way to find little
treats hidden in the branches.

He'll have to use his head,
not just his hands.

First, find and fashion a stick.

The older capuchins
make it look easy.

But then, they chose a longer stick.

This one's better...

...provided you keep the right piece.

Success at last.

His technique's not perfect

but he's definitely a step closer
to looking after himself.

While the youngest monkeys practice,

the adolescents of the group
take a break.

SCREECHING

These play fights are a way
of testing each other...

...wrangling over their status
in capuchin society.

This youngster
has that challenge to come.

He still must find his place
in the group

and that means being accepted
by the ruling, dominant males.

All across Brazil,
the rainy season gathers strength.

From the Amazon in the north to the
Atlantic rainforests in the south,

the monsoon engulfs the country.

The Brazilian monsoon
has reached the peak of its power.

Now there is more moisture flowing
in this vast river in the sky

than in the mighty Amazon River
itself.

The Pantanal's rivers
will rise by up to 4m.

In the vazante, the grasslands
have begun to flood

and the coatis' feeding grounds
are disappearing.

The water rises more
with each passing day.

Now, more than ever, the race is on
to feed on whatever they can.

And the rising waters have brought
a new delicacy.

One that will help them through
the leaner times ahead.

Lungfish.

They stay buried underground
during the dry season.

Now the rain brings them closer
to the surface...

...and that coati nose
comes into its own.

Ever more animals get squeezed
into what grassland remains.

It's as good a time as any
to meet the neighbours.

But some neighbours
are more of a problem.

A southern caracara
has been sizing up the group.

CARACARA SQUAWKS

He's one of Brazil's top scavengers

and he, too, is after lungfish.

He targets the young coatis.

Maybe he can scare them
into dropping their food.

The youngsters' inexperience shows.

It's almost too easy.

This one's a little smarter.

He makes for the protection
of the forest.

But he's underestimated how bold
a hungry caracara can be.

SQUAWKING

Round one to the caracara, but the
coati can't afford to give up now.

The waters are still rising.

Each lungfish he loses
is a crucial meal missed.

The juveniles are getting
more efficient

at finding the lungfish now.

They've also figured out
what size snakes to catch.

And they've realised that the best
way to deal with the caracara

is to give as good as they get.

COATI GRUNTS

It's a sign of the young coatis'
growing independence.

And just in time, because soon
their world will be under water.

RUMBLE OF THUNDER

The giant otters' river
is rising fast.

The flow of water around the holt
gets stronger each day.

It's getting harder going
for the kits to swim.

And the mother must still keep them
close to the holt.

Caiman are a constant danger.

This young otter must put in
as much practice as she can.

Strong swimming could save her life.

The family latrine
is still just above the water.

Its fishy fragrance
is irresistible to some

but to other otters, it's a warning
sign that this territory is taken.

LOUD SQUEAL

Scent-marking is now
a risky routine.

As the water rises,
all the jaguars in the area

will be concentrated
on what land remains.

Right now, the coast is clear.

Time for the young
to have another go.

Under the watchful eye
of her parents,

she finally makes it to the top

and leaves her mark.

Though she's still too nervous
to stick around and rub it in.

She's making progress,

but there's still more to learn

and not long to learn it.

In the canyon lands of Capivara,

the wet season has already
reached its peak.

The few days of rain that fell
have transformed

normally dry, harsh forests.

But these days of plenty
for the capuchin youngster

are also days of danger.

Tempers in the clan
are beginning to fray.

The males are getting aggressive

as they battle for
the family's top slot.

SCREECHING

This youngster must be careful
to stay out of the firing line.

The dominant male fights
to prove he's boss.

CAPUCHINS SCREECH

The loser's broken fingers
are a big price to pay

for a tool-using monkey.

CAPUCHINS WHISTLES

The young capuchin
watches and learns.

Touching tails is a way to
strengthen allegiances

and defuse the rising tension.

An important skill
for a youngster to learn.

But if he wants to be accepted
by the ruling male,

he first needs to get close to him.

It's his mother who teaches him
this final, crucial lesson.

Grooming.

He makes his approach with care.

The top male accepts him.

Being accepted now is vital.

These times of feeding and
socialising will soon be over.

The youngster has now learned
how to look after himself.

But, more importantly,
he's now part of the team.

When the hard times come, the family
will get through it together.

He may only be low
on the pecking order...

...but at least he's on it.

After four months, the southern
winds that have drawn moisture

down from the Amazon die away.

The river in the sky stops flowing.

But the rivers on land keep rising.

Rainwater that fell for months
over Brazil's vast high plains

continues to drain into
its great rivers

and gives rise to one of
the world's natural wonders.

The Iguazu Falls

in full flow.

Taller than Niagara
and nearly twice as wide,

these are the greatest falls
on the American continent.

But the greatest spectacle
of Brazil's monsoon

is in the wetlands
in the centre of the country.

The rains may be over

but the transformation of the
Pantanal is only just beginning.

Huge amounts of rainwater,
now full of rich sediments,

drain into an immense lowland basin.

Caiman lie in wait for fish
to be swept into their mouths.

The rivers burst their banks.

Fish hurry to spawn
in what were once dry grasslands.

The coatis' rich feeding grounds
are gone.

They're forced into the higher
forests that remain above the flood.

As the waters slow
and the silt settles,

Brazil's monsoon
offers one final spectacle.

Fed by the nutrients
carried in the water

and powered by the tropical sun,

the vazante's meadows are
transformed into lakes of flowers.

Soon, the waters will subside.

But the nutrients the floods
leave behind will feed the Pantanal

and all its residents
for a whole year.

The otters' river
is now in full flow.

It's time for the kits
to face the flood.

Their most immediate challenge
is the strength of the current.

The adults surround
the three youngsters

as the current takes them.

OTTERS SQUEAL

But one kit begins to tire.

LOUD SQUEALS AND GRUNTS

They're now fighting the current.

It's just what the caiman
has been waiting for.

OTTER GRUNTS

The family rush in to force
the caiman out of the water.

LOUD SQUEALS

The kit can't swim,

either terrified or just exhausted.

Her mother helps her home.

Safe at last.

The kits have survived growing up
on the flooded river...

...but only through the care
and courage of their family.

Brazil's monsoon season has forced
young animals to grow up fast.

The coatis have endured the flood

and feasted on the brief riches
the wet season brings.

The young capuchin has
learned to use tools

and has earned his place
in the clan.

And the otter kits,
like all the young animals,

have done more than survive
Brazil's monsoon.

They're now better prepared
for whatever the future holds.

But life is about to get tougher.

The young will soon face

their harshest season yet.

COATIS SCREECH

The country will swing from rain
and flood to drought

and fire.

As the youngsters take their
last steps towards adulthood,

the adults themselves
must find a mate

and ensure their family's future

in wild Brazil.

To tell the story of Brazil's
seasons and convey their power

and beauty, the crew wanted to
show how Brazil is transformed

by its annual monsoon.

They needed to get into the heart
of the Pantanal wetlands

during the peak of the wet season...

...and film from both above
and below the water.

It would take a mix of
rustic engineering

and modern technology to get
cameras in just the right place.

To get a unique aerial view,
they wanted to fly

a specialist filming helicopter
into the heart of the flood.

But launching it from their
makeshift helipad would require

some very careful flying.

So we've brought this system
all over the world

and this is by far the smallest
boat we've ever been on

and it's really important that,
at 7½ minutes,

we bring the system back and land
it on this little pink platform.

If the battery goes down to zero,
it drops.

The weight of the super
high-definition camera

meant the helicopter could only fly
for minutes at a time.

OK. Taking off.

While Chuck piloted the aircraft,

camerawoman Gabrielle Nadeau
framed the shots.

But a safe landing relied on the
boat keeping up with the helicopter.

The system was giving
a unique perspective.

But there was absolutely
no room for error

and the seven minutes' flight time
tested the team to the limit.

Zero seconds.

So we're going a little bit
over time.

Got to land it before the battery
dies or else it could drop.

So we went 20 seconds over

but that's why we keep reserve
in the battery, right?

To take a more intimate look at
how the usually dry grasslands

are transformed by the floodwaters,

others on the team took cameras
into the flood itself.

It soon turned out there were
places even a boat couldn't reach.

This is just a surreal landscape.

A few weeks ago this was dry land,
coatis running across it.

Now it's covered in water

as far as the eye can see.

Most animals had left the area
with the rising water,

but caiman had been drawn
into the flood meadows.

The crew had to keep
a careful look out.

There's light that's being
reflected. Is that the same as...?

Only by filming underwater could
they show the migration of fish

into the grasslands to spawn.

Beautiful.

They were getting a new
and intimate view of the flood.

But then Brazil revealed a beauty

that not even the crew
had expected to find.

I imagined the flood
might be dramatic.

I imagined that the flood
might be challenging to film.

I'd never... I'd never imagined
it would be this beautiful.

Over just two days,
the grasslands bloomed.

This is a nursery.

Flowers flowering to get pollinated,

small fish growing.

This is where the Pantanal starts.

They were now so engrossed
in filming

that even the caiman
weren't stopping them.

So what happened, Mauricio?

No, I was walking here
and then I felt something...

the ground had moved very quickly

and then I saw the caiman
going away.

Very scary...

with a bare foot.

Ooh.

Oh, he's moving there,
look at that, he's moving, moving.

Look at that, look at that.
Ooh, going somewhere there.

In the rivers, the rising flood
waters were now carrying

huge mats of vegetation.

Tough going for the heli-crew.

We have to fight to clear this in
order to put the propeller inside

and then we can...
use it as a blender.

You can back up the boat a bit
towards it.

The further they were getting
into the flooded wetlands,

the more revealing
the landscape was becoming,

even to those who see the flood
each year.

I've been living in the Pantanal
for 13 years already

and I've never seen...

...from this sort of perspective.

It's... it's...

very, very beautiful.

To capture these incredible views,

the team had to push the helicopter
flight time right to the limit.

Aaah!

My God, they're crazy.

That was, erm... That was something.

It was quite a way out there.
That's probably the furthest

we've had it
on this particular shoot.

Apparently it looked great.

In the flood meadows,
the blooms lasted just a few days.

But the crew had managed to film
a side to Brazil's floods

that few ever witness.

I'm hot and sweaty, tired,

but really pleased

and the place has completely
changed - the flowers have gone.

So we were, quite frankly, amazed

that we were in the right place
at the right time.

Very lucky.

The crew had been able to get
into the heart of the Pantanal

and capture the magic and beauty
of Brazil's monsoon floods.

The next challenge for the team
would be to follow Brazil's

wild animal families through
the end of the rains and floods...

...and on into the harshness
of extreme drought...

...and fire.